Firefighters are even trained on how to administer life-saving drugs epinephrine and

the counteracting opioid overdose drug Narcan — a skill many did not have a few months ago.

The need for new skills and tactics is a new reality for Poudre Fire Authority, which last year fielded 21,028 calls for service, more than 70 percent of which involved a medical emergency.

And while they're not experiencing a minor emergency, the types of medical calls PFA runs to have also shifted. More often now, firefighters respond to "lower acuity" medical and social services calls — things like an elderly person struggling to get out of bed on their own.

This leaves PFA leadership working to determine how to best meet those callers' needs while also being able to handle major events such as heart attacks or house fires.

PFA released its 2016 annual report in May, and among the highlights was an increased focus on the department's medical skills.

Calls to PFA involving medical emergencies have increased 25 percent since 2012. The agency's call volume has increased 32 percent in the same time frame.

“We’re constantly looking at the number on a day-to-day, week-by-week, month-by- month basis to be able to understand all the resources we need to support those calls," PFA spokeswoman Madeline Noblett said.

She later added, “It’s indicative of a growing community, but also just a change in the types of calls that folks are going to.”

PFA received 348 calls that involved actual fires, down one from 2015.

PFA's response to its increasingly medical mission takes several forms.

"We're always looking to say, 'What are some of those skills we can add to be able to deal with some of those medical calls that are coming through?' " Noblett said.

According to the agency's annual report, the department will also add new positions to oversee medical services, with the goal that PFA can work with UCHealth EMS to strategically place firefighters, EMTs and paramedics across the city to facilitate a faster response for patients in need.

PFA units respond to all medical calls within the agency's service area because firefighters can generally get to the scene more quickly than UCHealth EMS units, Noblett said. There are more engines in the system than ambulances, and firefighters can provide basic life support until EMS responders arrive.

Once both are on scene, they can work together to continue providing care.

Although emergency call volume increased across the community, PFA's response times shrunk, according to Chief Tom DeMint.

The report highlighted other statistics, including that firefighters responded to 127 wildland fires last year and sprinklers saved lives in at least two cases. Sprinklers extinguished a dryer fire at Fort Collins Health Care Center and a fire in a closet at Orthopaedic & Spine Center of the Rockies in December.

PFA serves Fort Collins and the surrounding area, including Timnath, Bellvue and Laporte.

For more information on PFA's annual report, visit pfaannualreport.com or email Noblett at mnoblett@poudre-fire.org.

What they run to

A look at calls for service received by Poudre Fire Authority in 2016: